We like to keep an eye out for the new and interesting, and in our travels we always like to share some of our top picks along the way … we welcome you to do the same, please comment if you know of something that the rest of us might not!

A CSR Checklist that Works for Every HR Department. Coro Strandberg of Strandberg Consulting is recognized throughout Canada as a thought leader in sustainable business practices. Coro has a lot to offer in her 2009 publication “Role of Human Resource Management in Corporate Social Responsibility: Issue Brief and Roadmap.” The report also comes with a 10 step checklist and serves as a set of actions human resource professionals can pursue to integrate CSR into the way the organization conducts its business while generating social and environmental value. The report and checklist also serve as a great HR professional’s “how-to guide” for creating a comprehensive sustainability program; covering everything from integrating CSR and sustainability into recruitment practices to measurement and reporting.

Skill Development You Can Take to the CFO. Volunteerism and pro bono service activities almost always involve exercising your skill set, but which activities actually develop skills with quantifiable business value? Specifically, what skills can you gain or develop further that help to complete job-related tasks more quickly, or produce more successful results (i.e., “productivity” in business jargon). Check out this article for some interesting considerations when it comes to the three most typical types of skill-related experiences in volunteerism.

Join the Volunteerism ROI Tracker. How much progress have you made on your measurement goals for 2011? This neat little tool quickly and easily collects data directly from your volunteers, then generates a confidential, custom report for you that (1) quantifies the impacts of your volunteerism; (2) benchmarks results against peers; (3) identifies practical opportunities to increase ROI; and, (4) takes only 30 minutes of your time: just review the customizable survey tool, define the volunteer group you want to survey, and the rest is done for you. Watch this 90-second overview and download an overview document to get started.

Be a Case Study. This is a great opportunity to showcase your leadership if you have you made concrete social or business gains with your volunteerism or pro bono efforts. This case study series with the Points of Light Institute is perfect for those organizations who have reported on the social or business value of their program to corporate leadership, communicated impact to external stakeholders, or monitored program performance to guide future program design or investment decisions. Share your story! By filling out this short form you’ll be set up for a short interview and a one-page summary case study will be drafted for you.

The Amazing Truth About Organic Food. Take a quick read of this blog entry for some interesting thoughts around the organic food debate. “There is a continuing and quite wrong assumption that agricultural systems need to be big to feed a growing world population. But as it turns out, this is not the case.” The blog sites some statistics from a recent study from Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania that compares organic food to conventional food.

GRI and ISO 26000: How to use the GRI Guidelines in conjunction with ISO 26000. In 2011 GRI released a document on how to relate GRI to the ISO 26000 so that (GRI) reporters would have a practical set of tools to measure and report on their social responsibility policies and practices. With integrated reporting looming large, now is the time to understand ISO 26000 as it relates to your sustainability program, management systems and sustainability reporting. Download this free white paper!

LEEP-C Downloadable Analysis Tool. ACEEE released a new user-oriented tool to assist local policymakers and stakeholders in advancing appropriate energy efficiency policies within their community. The Local Energy Efficiency Policy Calculator (LEEP-C) allows users to enter characteristics about their community, learn about and customize policy options, draw on a database of energy and economic data, and compare the estimated impacts of different policy choices across time. Outputs include energy savings, cost savings, pollution reduction, net jobs, and others. Currently the tool includes policies focused on two economic sectors: existing public buildings and existing residential buildings. While LEEP-C is primarily designed to analyze local policy options, it is also applicable to issues of interest to state, regional, and national policymakers and stakeholders.

Interested in learning more about sustainability consulting or grabbing some great resources if you’re feeling a little stuck? Sustainability is an ever-evolving field, and as sustainability consultants, we’re constantly learning new things. Instead of keeping all of this knowledge to ourselves, we are always open to sharing! From our webinars to our white papers and more, we hope you find what you’re looking for!